FLYING SCOT SAILING ASSOCIATION

North American Championship Checklist

MONTH

/ COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE /

PROJECT

July or August (during the previous year’s NAC) / Representative of the host Yacht Club or Fleet / Announce the dates and location of next year’s NAC at General Meeting. Be prepared to answer questions about: parking, hoisting, docking, motel proximity and other items of interest to participants.
September-October / Commodore of the host Yacht Club and the host Fleet Captain /
  1. Select a Regatta Chairperson and inform the FSSA office the name,address,e-mail address, and phone number.
  2. Submit the proposed Notice of Race to the National Championships Committee chairperson for approval. Use the Standard NOR for the NAC, located on the FSSA web site or available from the FSSA office.

November / Regatta Chairperson and FSSA representative /
  1. Select a host motel/hotel and secure a block of rooms. Negotiate a group discount, if possible.
  2. Select facilities for the Board of Governors’ meeting and dinner.
  3. Secure facilities for the FSSA Annual Meeting.
  4. Establish registration fees
  5. Discuss other matters of interest

December / Regatta Chairperson / Select committee chairpersons and begin work. The following is a list of committees. Some may be combined, but it is good practice to involve as many people as possible. This spreads the workload, gets greater involvement of the fleet and builds expertise for future events.
  1. Welcome
  2. Registration
  3. Measuring
  4. Trophies & Awards
  5. Sponsors
  6. Entertainment
  7. Judges
  8. Race and Scoring
  9. Parking, Launching
  10. Food
  11. Repair
  12. Clean-Up
  13. Publicity and Public Relations
  14. Chartering
  15. Junior & Women’s Regatta
  16. Safety & First Aid
  17. Hospitality

Nov 15 / Regatta Chairperson / Obtain approval of the Notice of Race from the FSSA National Championships Committee chairperson.
Dec 15 & repeat Feb 15 / Regatta Chairperson and Publicity/Public Relations /
  1. Select staff knowledgeable of the FSSA website, Scots n’ Water publication deadlines, local and national media.
  2. Submit Notice of Race (as approved by FSSA National Championships Committee) to Scots ‘n Water for Mar/Apr & May/Jun issues, including:
-Overview of the facility with pictures
-Registration form including fees, mailing address, boat number, name, USSA number, email address, phone number(s), choices to sail Masters, first-time participant.
January / Publicity/Public Relations /
  1. Contact local Visitors’ & Convention Bureau for information and photos
  2. Contact local Chamber of Commerce for literature on local attractions
  3. Continually submit information as it develops to the Managing Editor of Scots & Water and to the FSSA web page.
  4. Black & White photos of members, your club and local attractions are needed.
  5. FSSA office will assist you on national publicity releases.
  6. Arrange to fly the FSSA flag and burgee during the regatta.

Sponsors /
  1. Procure items for give-aways, support donations or other assistance as needed.
  2. Organize gift packages for each boat
  3. Distribute give-a-ways at registration
  4. Organize daily raffles for give-aways (this encourages people to eat together.)
  5. Obtain and return sponsors’ banners or other recognition items

Entertainment / Arrange for entertainment as the budget allows. Usually provided for: Sunday dinner; Junior/Women’s awards; and Annual Meeting.
Judges and Principal Race Officer (PRO) /
  1. Select at least 3 judges, including one Chief Judge. One must be a US Sailing Certified Judge, and one must be a FSSA member.
Select a PRO. This person shall, at a minimum, be a US SAILING Senior or Certified Regional Race Officer, or have equivalent experience running events on the scale of the North American Championship.
  1. Submit proposed judges names and PRO name to the National Championships Committee chairperson for approval.

Race and Scoring / Select experienced Race Committee people, including a Scorer, and provide adequate race equipment: boats, flags, GPS, compass, anemometer, horns, rescue equipment (and know/how), etc.
Parking and Launching /
  1. Plan for systematic boat, car and trailer parking.
  2. Provide communication to the participants.

Repair / Select staff (usually the boat builder, sail makers and local staff) for repair.
Clean-Up / Police the area at least daily.
Publicity and Public Relations / Arrange support boats for press, photographer & spectators
Regatta Chairman /
  1. Establish fees and bookkeeping methods for income and disbursement.
  2. Establish registration fee. Fee should be kept to a minimum but cover:
-Awards and trophies
-Entertainment
-Gas for Race Committee, press and spectator boats
-Motel and meal expenses for the judges; meals for the Race Committee
-Contingencies
-Note: Meals and refreshments are managed separately from the registration fee income.
Chartering / Use the handbook procedure.
Food /
  1. Staff as appropriate using local resources.
  2. Plan food budget & determine pricing for meals to break-even
  3. Incorporate cost of free meals for race committee & judges in the pricing.
Plan as many meals together as possible.
January / Junior and Women’s regatta /
  1. Name a regatta chairperson and follow this checklist.
  2. Insure early measuring.
  3. Arrange race instructions, Skippers’ meeting, race equipment, staff to manage races, scoring, etc.

Safety and First Aid /
  1. Have trained first-aid staff available with adequate supplies.
  2. Pre-arrange for emergency treatment in case of serious injury or illness.
  3. Locate nearest ambulance service, hospital with emergency service and other appropriate treatment facilities.

February / All Committees / The following schedule is recommended for the NAC Regatta week:
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
-Measurement and registration – all day each day
-Race Committee, Judges, FSSA National Championships Committee and FSSA Executive Committee meets on Sunday evening
-Juniors’ & Women’s NAC’s on Sunday
-Welcoming Party and Competitors’ meeting on Sunday evening
MONDAY
-Morning – 1st Race – Qualification Series
-Afternoon – 2nd Race – Qualification Series
TUESDAY
-Morning – 3rd Race – Qualification Series
-Afternoon – Make-up race if necessary; otherwise open or scheduled tour
-Afternoon – Board of Governors’ Meeting
-Evening – Dinner for Board of Governors (Approximately 30 people)
WEDNESDAY
-Competitors’ Meeting
-Morning – 1st Race – Championship & Challenger Divisions
-Afternoon – 2nd Race – Championship and Challenger Divisions
-Evening – Dinner and FSSA Annual Meeting (approximately 80-150)
THURSDAY
-Morning – 3rd Race – Championship & Challenger Divisions
-Afternoon – 4th Race – Championship and Challenger Divisions
-Evening Open
FRIDAY
-Morning – 5th Race – Championship and Challenger Divisions
-Afternoon – Make-up Race, if necessary, otherwise open
-Awards can be given out either Friday afternoon as soon as scores are available, or Friday evening at an Awards Dinner.
February / Race and Scoring /
  1. Submit to the Chairperson National Championships Committee (NCC) a draft of the proposed Sailing Instructions (SI) for approval. Use the Standard SI for the NAC available on the FSSA web site or from the FSSA office.
  2. Provide copy of proposed SI to Chief Judge for review.
  3. Obtain computer equipment—hardware and software--for scoring and communication.
  4. Any issues on the SI are to be resolved by the NCC.

March / Registration / Send a registration acknowledgement when registration is received with a map of facility, motel locations and major highways leading to facility.
March-April / Welcome /
  1. Maintain the same schedule as registration.
  2. Greet people at the entrance to the Yacht Club and provide information as to places to park, registration and measuring.
  3. Provide a flow chart of registration and measuring and a map of the facility.
  4. Provide a list of restaurants and motels. Have refreshments available.

March- April / Registration /
  1. Provide registration materials:
-Yacht Club rules
-Program/Schedule of events
-Sail Measurement checklist
-Skippers certificate
-Boat rigging and equipment checklist
-Registration form
-Protest flag
-Numbered string tags for sails, battens and spinnaker pole.
-Pin-on name tags
-Pennants for qualification series
  1. Insure entrants satisfy eligibility requirements (Obtain current membership list and hull certification list from FSSA.)
  2. Hand out promotional items
  3. Collect registration money
  4. Direct entrants to the next registration steps:
-Meal tickets
-T-shirts
-Boat parking
-Sail measuring
-Boat weighing, if necessary
-Boat and safety equipment inspection
-After measuring, pick up sails and return signed checklists to registration
  1. Determine, with the Regatta Chairman, the entrants’ division and provide the appropriate pennants. Hand out pennants at the skippers meeting.
  2. Provide extra pennants to the Race Committee in case people leave them on shore.

March-April / Measurement /
  1. Obtain the sail templates and scales.
  2. Set up weighing, inspection and measuring format.
  3. Select committee members and train them.

March-June / Trophies & Awards / 1. Secure “keeper” trophies for skippers and crew of the following:
-1st through 10th places for the Championship and Challenger Divisions. Trophies for the Masters, Women’s and Juniors as appropriate (3 places is suggested).
-1st place winners for each Qualifier, Championship and Challenger race.
-Keeper trophies for permanent trophies won and not covered by 1 or 2. Check with the FSSA office and the FSSA By-laws.
-Highest placing first-time participant in the Challenger Division
-Other awards, as the host deems appropriate and as specified in the FSSA by-laws.
2. Secure permanent trophies in cooperation with FSSA office.
  1. Arrange for repair & polishing of permanent trophies as needed
  2. Arrange trophies for awards ceremony.

June / Race and Scoring /
  1. Provide copies of SI to registration. Post SI on the official bulletin board.
  2. Provide each skipper at registration with the Skippers certificate and checklist to be completed during measuring.
  3. Provide a Race Committee boat, fully equipped.
  4. Provide three (3) seaworthy motor boats for: mark set and changes; rescue; to monitor wind direction, velocity and changes.
  5. Provide boat for judges.

June / Registration /
  1. Establish the on-site registration flow, paperwork and computer system.
  2. Prepare printed nametags.
  3. Arrange with the FSSA office for eligibility verification and boat certificates.

June or July / Hospitality /
  1. Prepare direction signs if necessary to direct traffic from major highways and motels to the sailing facility. Post signs Friday before the NAC regatta week.
  2. Assign daily FS flag hoister.
  3. Have non-alcoholic liquid refreshments available during registration and measurement, and following each race when the fleets come to shore.

During regatta / Race and Scoring /
  1. Communicate location of the official bulletin board.
  2. Hold Competitors’ meetings before the first race and as appropriate.
  3. Post race results as soon as possible on the official bulletin board.
  4. Post race results as soon as possible on the FSSA web site.

Host Club / Provide security for boats and equipment.
After Regatta / Sponsors / Send written thank-you notes to all contributors.
All / Thank everyone who helped host a great regatta!
Any time / All / Contact the FSSA office whenever necessary. Phone: 1-800-445-8629. Website::

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